The present disclosure relates to a conveyor device for conveying a recording medium and to an inkjet recording apparatus.
In general, a printer (inkjet recording apparatus) includes a conveyor device for conveying paper (an example of recording media). Contact, rubbing, and friction between paper and a paper feed roller, a conveyance roller, or a paper guide, for example, in the conveyor device result in fibers and a filler coming off the paper, generating paper dust. The paper dust adheres to the paper and is conveyed to a location right under a recording head of the printer.
Some of the paper dust on the paper being conveyed may attach to a cylindrical rubber part of the conveyance roller and move from the rubber part to another sheet of paper being conveyed next by the conveyance roller. As a result, a large amount of paper dust may be accumulated on the paper and conveyed to the location right under the recording head.
Air currents (air flows) are generated in the printer and stir up the paper dust. As a result, the contamination by the paper dust is expanded in the printer. Some printers convey paper by suction holding. Such printers have a conveyor belt with a plurality of suction holes. Air above the conveyor belt is drawn through the suction holes, and thus paper is held onto the conveyor belt by suction. The drawing of air through the suction holes generates an air flow in the printer from the top of the conveyor belt to the bottom of the conveyor belt through the suction holes. Conveyance of paper also generates an air flow in the paper conveyance direction. Thus, there are usually strong air flows in the space between the conveyor belt and the recording head, and paper is subjected to the air flows while being conveyed under the recording head. As a result, paper dust is likely to be stirred up (blown off) from paper by the air flows under the recording head, and thus the contamination by the paper dust is expanded in the printer.
In general, paper dust can cause the following problem in the printer. The recording head is disposed right above the conveyor belt with a space enough for paper to pass therethrough. Therefore, the recording head is close to the conveyor belt. Paper dust may be conveyed with paper and attach to a nozzle of the recording head as the paper passes through the space under the recording head. As a result, the nozzle is likely to be clogged to prevent ink ejection, and an image formed on the paper may have a defect.
In view of the problem, some inkjet printers include a paper dust remover. The paper dust remover has a housing, a static elimination brush that eliminates static electricity from paper, and an air blower that blows air toward the paper after the static elimination. The housing is located upstream of a printing section. The static elimination brush and the air blower are disposed in the housing. Paper dust that has departed from paper therefore drifts within the housing located upstream of the printing section, prevented from attaching to a recording head.